Thanks to LIRR workforce for keeping trains running during pandemic
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | OCT. 9-OCT. 15, 2020 15
BY PHILLIP ENG
There aren’t enough thanks I could give the
LIRR workforce for all the efforts and strides
they’ve collectively made over the past six months
to keep our region safe, and to keep Long Island
moving.
And that goes for you, too — the public — for
doing your part in helping us stop the spread.
But as we see clusters of COVID-19 positive cases
popping up in communities around the New York
metropolitan area, it’s important that we stay vigilant.
We must continue to protect one another.
It was with a heavy heart that I shared the news
Friday with colleagues that a member of the LIRR
family, Kyle Fulcher, succumbed to COVID-19 on
Oct. 1. Kyle joined the LIRR almost two decades
ago, working first as an electrician, and more recently
as a training specialist.
Upon learning of Kyle’s positive COVID test,
we moved quickly to protect the health and safety
of those who worked with him. I hope you’ll join
me in keeping Kyle’s family in your thoughts and
prayers.
As circumstances continue to evolve in our
work lives and our personal lives, with many
children across our region returning to in-person
school instruction, we must continue to practice
everything we’ve been doing, both at work and
at home: wearing masks, washing hands, using
hand sanitizer, giving each other extra space
when we’re able to, and staying home if we don’t
feel well.
Riding public transportation remains a safe
way to get around. We’re doing our part to keep it
that way with increased cleaning and disinfection
efforts at stations and on our trains, and handing
out masks to riders who need one.
Now we need final enactment of the second
HEROES Act passed by the House Thursday night
to ensure our region continues to have critically
robust and safe public transportation as we rebuild.
Since the height of the first wave of COVID-
19 through New York, there has been much talk
about preventing a second wave, which some experts
have said is inevitable. But it doesn’t have
to be, if we stay smart.
Don’t let down your guard. Everything we did
to flatten the curve is even more vital now. We
cannot lose sight of all the losses we’ve already
incurred and all the suffering that’s gone on.
We owe it to everyone to do our best to avoid a
surge in new cases. And it’s important to remember
that you, yes you, have the power to stem this
virus and help save lives. We must all contribute
to this effort.
Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay home if
you’re sick. It’s not complicated, but it is imperative.
Stay tough, New York.
Phillip Eng is president of MTA Long Island
Rail Road.
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